Friends remember victims of murder-suicide east of Longmont

LONGMONT -- In the photo, the newlyweds grin from the backseat of a car on their wedding day, as the bride clutches a bouquet of pink roses.

Neighbors said that the couple -- Maria Cintora-Silva, 22, and Max Aguirre Ojeda, 32 -- had planned to start a family soon. They married within the last year.

Both were shot to death early Tuesday morning in their home at 11464 Hot Spring in the Longview Estates subdivision east of Longmont. The gunman, Daniel Sanchez, 31, also shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, Beatriz "Betty" Cintora-Silva, 25.

On Wednesday, friends and co-workers spoke about the three lives cut short.

Max Aguirre Ojeda and Maria Cintora-Silva are seen in this undated photo from their wedding day less than a year ago.

Aguirre Ojeda was "a family guy" who co-workers saw as a leader, said TGI Fridays director of operations Kris Worner. He worked with the company for six years, four at the Longmont location and the past two in Thornton.

"It's a huge loss for us," Worner said, adding that grief counselors were helping staff at the both sites.

Aguirre Ojeda quickly developed friendships with people and "always had a smile on his face," Worner said.

"He's a very authentic person. You just knew he was a good person when you met him. He looked you in the eye. He smiled at you. He had questions about you. He knew things about you. He was just that kind of person," she said.

Roy Choudhary -- a good friend of Betty Cintora-Silva -- met Aguirre Ojeda and his wife, Maria Cintora-Silva, several times and called them "beautiful people" who worked hard. He remembers their home as "immaculate."

Sisters Maria and Betty Cintora-Silva, who were less than three years apart in age, were close, said Valeria Gutierrez, who worked with Betty at Chipotle, 1100 Ken Pratt Blvd., Longmont.

Gutierrez said that Betty Cintora-Silva had a "beautiful voice" and often sang at work. She remembered her singing Adele's "Someone Like You." The friends, who met while both attended Longmont's Skyline High School, became close when they started working at Chipotle. Betty had worked at the restaurant for less than a year and was taking classes at Front Range Community College in Longmont. She wanted to become a nurse.

Chipotle kitchen manager Alejandra Delgado said Betty Cintora-Silva often started the work day by hugging other employees and made them laugh by talking in a "squeaky voice." Staff jokingly called Betty, who is 5-feet tall, "chaparra," which translates to "shorty."

"She was really sweet. She was always smiling. She was so caring, also. I feel like I never really saw her mad, ever. And if she got frustrated, she'd never show it," Delgado said.

Delgado said co-workers knew of turmoil in Betty Cintora-Silva's relationship with Sanchez, who sometimes visited at work and brought her chocolate and bought Starbucks for the staff.

"He was really protective of her," Delgado said.

She said after the couple broke up, co-workers encouraged Betty Cintora-Silva to "stay strong." Delgado said the staff at the Ken Pratt Boulevard Chipotle is a "big family."

"Yesterday was a hard day for us because we were trying to keep calm, you know, but we also had to do our job," she said.

She said co-workers hugged one another. Some prayed in the back.

"We're gonna remember Betty as someone who was always happy and smiling and always generous and kind," Delgado said.

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